Pulling tool for valve guide keepers



March 8, 1949. A. T. HANSORD 2,464,132

PULLING TOOL FOR VALVE GUIDE-KEEPERS Filed March 1, 1946 /NVENTOP ARTHUR T HAN'SORD ATTORNEY! Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PULLING TOOL FOR VALVE GUIDE KEEPERS Arthur T. Hansord, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application March 1, 1946, Serial No. 651,165

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a tool for removing valve guide keepers from the motor blocks of automotive engines.

In automotive engines, particularly those of the V-block type, the stems of the tappet valves are guided by a split, tubular mechanism which is retained against longitudinal displacement in the respective valve discharge or intake passage by means of a bifurcated, fiat retainer plate having an integral tab or tongue to facilitate insertion and removal thereof. The said retainer plates are applied internally of the block with a cap of the block removed and after considerable use, be come very firmly locked with the grooves of the split valve guide and are removable from within the block only with considerable difiiculty. To facilitate removal the guide retainers or keepers are provided with a tool-engaging aperture near the extremity of the tabs to accommodate the pin of the prying tool, which is adapted to dislodge and pull the plates inwardly into the interior of the block. The force required for dis lodging and pulling these keeper plates is so great that in many instances, the stock of the tab is sheared by the pin when pulling pressure is applied, the metal weakening before suilicient force is exerted on the body of the plate to dislodge the same from the valve guide and inner wall of the block.

It is an object of my invention to provide an extremely simple but highly efficient pulling tool by which said valve guide retainers or keeper plates may be easily and speedily removed without danger of shearing the apertured tabs by which connection is made.

More specifically, it is an object to provide a pulling tool of the class described wherein the initial operation of the tool connected with the apertured tab, is to bend the tab transversely about the extremity of the tool, thereb forming a snubbing portion and to thereafter apply leverage to push the keeper or retainer plate outwardly, distributing the strain between the snubbing surface and the apertured portion of the tab.

Another object is the provision of simple and highly efficient method for removing valve guide keepers from the blocks of automotive engines which consists essentially in first engaging the apertured portion of the tab of a keeper plate, then applying a bending force upon the tab to fold the same transversely over a snubbing edge and then applying a pulling force, distributed between the snubbing edge and the apertured portion of the tab to withdraw the keeper without danger of breaking the metal in the tab.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of my tool;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a vertical fragmentary cross section of an automotive engine motor block with the head detached, showing the step of connecting the extremity of my tool with the valve guide keeper or retaining plate and showing in dotted lines, the initial operation of the tool prior to bending the snubbing portion of the tab;

Fig. 4 is a similar fragmentary section of the same block, illustrating the next two steps in the removal of the keeper with my tool;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the e pers 0r retaining plates detached before the tab has been bent;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the working end of my tool taken partially in side elevation and partially in longitudinal section and showing the snub-hing relation of the bent tab of the keeper with the novel structure of the tool.

As shown in the drawings, my pulling tool comprises an elongated, rigid bar or lever II] which may be conveniently constructed from integral metal rod material having as shown, a roughened or knurled handle portion Mia and having its working extremity provided with a short offset portion Hlb formed as shown, by first bending the outer end of rod H1 at slightly less than right angles from the body or shank thereof and then again bending the extremity substantially at right angles to the said angled portion and extending substantially parallel to the shank or body Ill. The offset working end Illb of the tool is flattened at its extremity along a plane I00 which extends at an acute angle preferably between 50 and 60 to the longitudinal center line of the shank or body of the tool. A rigid tab engaging pin ll preferably constructed of hard steel, extends outwardly from the extremity I00 and may be convenientl secured by shrinking or other process in a suitable socket drilled in the extremity of the tool. The pin l0 preferably is not disposed quite normal to the plane of extremity lllc but extends at an angle thereto of from to The outer longitudinal surface of the offset, working end lb of the tool is flattened to intersect the planar extremity lllc, thereby defining a short and straight V-shaped folding edge I0d.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the several steps of removing a valve keeper plate from the block of an automotive engine, are illustrated. The portion of the hollow block shown includes a part of one of the conventional cylinders C, having therein, the usual piston P and having the usual water jacket W surrounding the cylinder and the diagonal partition D which with the upper corner of the casting, defines one of the valve passages VP communicating with a beveled, circular valve seat wherein the poppet valve V is seated. Poppet valve V has the usual axial stem S spaced at its lower end the requisite distance of clearance from the tappet In some internal combustion motors, a split valve guide G is utilized, the two longitudinally channeled members of the guide surrounding the stem S and constituting a slide bearing therefor and together, having-a head portion which snugly fits a cylindrical passage in the block disposed axially below the valve seat. The two channeled sections of the valve guide G are held together or retained by a bifurcated keeper or retainer plate K which is of conventional form and shaped when inserted and in use as illustrated, in Figs. iand 5. This keeper plate K, it will be noted, has a flat body provided with .a wide slot terminating in an arc whereby the semiannular grooves in the medial portion of the valve guide members are engaged and locked together. The keeper is provided with an insertion and pulling tab KT which extends laterally from the body and in a plane disposed at an angle of approximately 30 to .the upper :surface of the body. The tab KT is providedwith an aperture .KA adjacent its outer end for engagement with the pin of a pulling tool. The valve structure as shown, is provided with the usual helical spring H interposed between the lower end of the valve guide .and a member attached to the tappet end of the stem to urge the valve downwardly and inwardly against its operating tappet.

InEig.3 the working-end of my improved tool is ,shown :in .full lines :as the pin 1 is about to be engaged with the apertured portion KA of the inclined tab of the keeper. In this connection, it will be noted that when the pin H is engaged with the aperture, the longitudinal outer surface of the short, ofiset portion 40b of the tool bears against the :diagonal partition D of the block and acts as a .Iulcrum for :the subsequent swinging movements of the tool. The tool is first moved after engagement of the pin from the full line position to the dotted line position of Fig. 3 wherein the tab KT is bent somewhat downwardly and the working end of the tool .is shifted downwardly as shown in 'Fig. .3. .The tool is further swung as a lever fulcrumed on the curved contour of the-ofiset portion :lilb against the diagonal partition D, thereby bending the :medial portion of the tab KT sharply against the straight V- 'shaped edge ID at the extremity of the tool and causing the extremity of the tab KT of the keeper plate to frictionally engage and 'lie flush against the planar terminal surface We and to further, be tightly drawn about the folding edge id as shown in the full lines in Fig. 4. Thereafter, further swinging .of the .tool lever NJ 'on the imcrum of the curved portion of the offset end snubs the keeper more tightly against the planar .sur- 'face lilo-and the sharpedge Illd and dislodges the plate by pushing action. The dottedilines inJFig. 4 indicate the moved position and bending of the keeper K just prior to its complete release from the valveguide.

In the said steps of my method and operation of the working end of the tool, the tab KT is first engaged and without exerting displacement pull upon thekeeper, is benttransversely to snub the outer portion thereof against the planar surface 10.0 at the extremity of the working end and against the sharp, :straight edge ltd, all before pulling strain is exerted upon the body of the keeper to dislodge the same. Thereafter, the strain of removingthe keeper from the valve guide is divided by pushing force between the snubbed portions of the keeper tab and the apertured extremity oi the tab engaged by pin H. The distribution "of this keeper-removing force is such that at least 56% and it is believed, in excess of 60% thereof is imposed upon the snubbed por- ,tion of the keeper tab rather than upon the apertured, narrow portion engaged by the pin.

In the extensive use of my device, the keepers are uniformly removed easily and quickly Without rupture of the narrow extremity of the keeper tab just outwardly of the aperture.

With tools of the prior art extensively used prior to my discovery in a 'very large percentage of cases, the pulling strain imposed upon thekeeper tab severed the narrow portion of metaldisposed outwardly of the pin-receiving aperture with the result that subsequent removal of the keeper became extremely laborious and required considerable time and labor.

With my improved construction, through the distribution of the pushing force and thesnubbing action obtained, the valve guide retainers or keepers may be easily and quickly removed even though very tightly adhering to the block and grooves in the valve guide.

Fig. '2 accurately shows the snubbing engagement of the bent tab of the keeper with the working end of my tool just prior to application of the actual force for removing the bodyof the keeper.

It will of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, ar-

.rangement and proportions of the ,parts without departing .from the scope of my invention.

What ,I claim ,is:

A tool-for pulling'a keeper having an apertured .tab comprising an elongated :shank portion, an offset portion at theend of said shank portion ,at substantially right angles thereto, and a terminal portion extending sfrom the end of said rightangularly disposed portion :in a direction away from said .shank and substantially parallel thereto, said terminal portion terminating in 'a planar end .face disposed at an acute angle to'the longitudinal center line of the said shank, a portion of the side of said terminal portion outermost of the shank being fiat andintersectingsaid :planar end f aceto providea V shaped configuration in cross section and presenting :an outer straight folding edge, an aperture engaging pin on said planar face spaced fromsaid folding edge and the zone of said tool connecting said ,o'fiset and the terminal portions aiiording a fulcrum whereby .the tool may pivot to bend a tab over said edge to provide a snubbing grip on :a .tabrt'o augment the force applied by the pin in a keeper pulling operation to prevent rupturing zofxtheitab.

ARTHUR 1T. .HANSORD.

,REF-ERENCE S 'CIT ED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Denmark Sept. 16, 192B 

